Team

Harper Wallace

President

Harper is a senior at CGPS and has played competitive chess since second grade. He has been ranked among the top 100 players in the country for his age multiple times, with a peak rating of 1980. Some of his achievements include being part of the high school national championship team this year and winning the U1900 section at High School Nationals as an individual. He also plays for a club soccer team and runs varsity cross country and track. 

Bhavya Thakur

Co-Vice President

Bhavya is a sophomore at Trinity School and has played chess for over 11 years, reaching a peak rating of 1818. She has achieved numerous top-ten national and regional finishes in tournaments, consistently ranking in the USCF top player lists for girls her age. Aside from chess, she is an avid roboticist, coder, and debater.

Hunter Quirk

Co-Vice President

Hunter Quirk is a sophomore at Hunter College High School. He has been playing chess competitively for over 7 years. His other interests include reading (both comic books and novels) and volunteering for organizations. 

Max Chang

Tutoring Program Manager

Max is a rising sophomore at Hunter College High School. He has been playing chess since the age of seven, reaching a peak ELO of 2026 and helping to lead his grade team to a national title on four separate occasions. Besides chess, Max also enjoys playing tennis and watching soccer. 

Maddy Eng

Director of Community Outreach

Maddy is a junior at Trinity School. She began learning chess in elementary school and continues to enjoy bullet chess. In addition, Maddy enjoys creating digital art, debating, and running track and field.

David Shen

Director of Events

David is a junior who has been playing chess competitively since he was in elementary school and currently represents the CGPS chess team. With his school winning multiple national championships. David has a peak rating of 1809 and hopes to reach 2000 USCF by the end of high school, and has been an NYCCC tutor since 2024.

Dominic Paragua

Director of Marketing & Social Media

Dominic Nathan Paragua is a junior at Columbia Grammar Preparatory School. He is a USCF Expert with a peak rating of 2132. He is currently top 100 in every time control in his age group. Outside of chess, he likes learning to cook, and creating YouTube videos.

Spencer Chin

Director of Curriculum

Spencer Chin is a junior at Bronx Science that enjoys mentoring students in chess. He achieved the National Master title in 2024, and hopes to help others achieve higher levels of chess. Spencer enjoys basketball and badminton in his free time, as well as content creation.

Kyle Cheung

Director of Institutional Partnerships

Kyle Cheung has been playing chess competitively for almost a decade, and he is a USCF Candidate Master at his peak rating of 2143. He has placed top 15% for numerous grade nationals and placed 2nd in the 2024 World Amateur Team Championship. As a current senior at the Bronx High School of Science, he is dedicated to sharing his knowledge and helping others improve their game. Outside of chess, he enjoys participating in bowling and table tennis events.   

Michael Li

Co-Editor-in-Chief (Writing Team)

Michael is a sophomore at Jericho High School on Long Island. A National Master at thirteen, he has since gone on to win the NY State Scholastics undefeated, represent the United States in Brazil, reaching a top-six national ranking. Michael is also a cellist studying at Juilliard and avid Lincoln-Douglas debater.

Eugene Yoo

Co-Chair and Founder Emeritus

Eugene is the founder of NYC Chess Connections. He is a FIDE Master and currently studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also a recipient of the US Chess Federation Scholar-Chessplayer Award and the Chessable Research Award. In his free time, Eugene enjoys running and playing the violin.

Ian Nicholson

Co-Chair and President Emeritus

Ian is a first-year at Harvard College, where he intends to concentrate in Statistics and History. He is a US Chess Expert who has placed in the top-ten on a city, state, and national level on several occasions, leading his school to multiple state championship. Beyond the board, Ian enjoys playing goalkeeper and is involved in research.